Mombasa had, on the whole, left a fairly good impression on the Austrian commercial inspection delegation. When investing overseas, stability was the most important thing, and East Africa's greatest advantage was precisely its stability. Although the delegation felt that East Africa was somewhat conservative in its use of Black people, East Africa's sheer scale was already sufficient to support their investments here.
Wolfgang, the head of the delegation, planned to first invest in a few small factories in East Africa to test the waters. Most of the other members shared the same idea. They still harbored doubts about East African politics; East Africa's typical feudal monarchy, coupled with its intensely conservative style, made them somewhat concerned about its business environment.
While Wolfgang and the others were inspecting the north, the eastern side of Lake Malawi in the south—the area slated for Austrian development—received no interest at all.
First, it was too remote, buried deep in the East African interior. Although the Northern Industrial Zone had been planned to extend into the Great Lakes Region, Mombasa's uniquely blessed advantages as a port were something the areas around Lake Malawi simply could not match. The only southern port, Mtwara Port, was likewise nowhere near Mombasa in scale.
Moreover, East Africa's transportation conditions made it plain that products manufactured in this region would be difficult to ship out by sea. They could only rely on procurement by the East African government, which meant relying entirely on the domestic East African market to absorb them. The uncertainty was simply too great.
Second, the proven coal and iron resources here were not enough to move the Austro-Hungarian Empire, nor were they particularly attractive to investors. With the Balkan Peninsula right beside them, there was no need to cross vast seas to develop East Africa.